Parliamentary elections were held in Egypt on 22 May 1926. The result was a victory for the Wafd Party, which won 171 of the 211 seats.
The ruling Ittihad Party led by Prime Minister Ahmed Ziwar Pasha and Minister of Finance Yahya Ibrahim Pasha, while clinging to power, was too weak to carry out an effective campaign. It failed to nominate more than 66 candidates, fewer than the seats won by the Wafdists.
Background After the 1925 election, where a Wafdist majority parliament was dissolved by King Fuad in less than half a day, the Liberal Constitutional Party sought rapprochement with the Wafd Party. On 14 January 1926 an executive committee representing the National Party, the Wafd and the Liberal Constitutionalists was set up to discuss their response to the King and Ahmed Zeiwar's government. The National Party wanted the return on the 1925 parliament and a boycott of any future election, while the Wafdists and Liberals wanted new elections. However, when new elections were held on 22 May, the committee urged its voters to participate. These elections were the first held under newly relaxed financial requirements for voters, significantly increasing voter turnout compared to the previous election.
Results While all sources agree that the Wafd won the election, they differ on the seat totals. Deeb gives the results as Wafd 165, 29 Liberal constitutionalists, 5 Nationalists, and 5 Ittihadists. Quraishi puts the Wafdist total as 156 out of 214. Terry gives the same seat results as Khatib, except for the Ittihad and National parties, which she records as getting 1 and 29 seat respectively. Alaf Luftli Al-Sayyid Marsot and High Commissioner in Egypt Lord LLyod gives the totals as 144 for the Wafd, 28 for the Liberal Constitutionalists, 5 for the National party, 7 Ittihadists and 17 independents. The Political Handbook of the World; Parliaments, Parties and Press gives the results as Wafd 169, 29 Liberal constitutionalists and 12 for the minor parties.
Aftermath The British government under Lord Lloyd involved themselves in the government formation process, refusing to accept Zaghloul as premier. In a meeting between Lloyd and Zaghloul on 30 May, Zaghloul told him were he to become premier, he would select Adly and Tharwat for posts in his cabinet. When Lloyd objected, Zaghloul told him "Vous pouvez vous renseigner" - French for "come and find out". When the meeting broke down, Lloyd used gunboat diplomacy, sending HMS Resolute to Alexandria on 2 June. In the end, Zaghloul acquiesced, citing health reasons.
References
Sources